Steelers are close on a deal to make Mike McCarthy the coach of his hometown team, AP source says

By Canadian Press on January 24, 2026.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike McCarthy is coming home.

The Pittsburgh Steelers intend to hire McCarthy, who is from Pittsburgh, to replace Mike Tomlin as head coach, a person familiar with the deal told the The Associated Press on Saturday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because a deal had not been finalized.

The potential agreement was first reported by ESPN.

McCarthy grew up in the Greenfield neighborhood, just a couple of miles away from the team’s practice facility on the city’s South Side.

The 62-year-old McCarthy is 185–123–2 (playoffs included) across 18 seasons, 13 with Green Bay — which beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl following the 2010 season — and five with Dallas.

His potential hire is just the fourth by the Steelers since 1969 and a marked departure from his predecessors, Tomlin and Hall of Famers Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher.

All three were largely unknown assistants/coordinators. McCarthy is hardly that.

McCarthy would replace Tomlin, who stepped down earlier this month after his 19th season ended with a seventh straight playoff loss, this one at home to the Houston Texans. Tomlin’s surprise departure came as he was under contract for 2026 with a club option for 2027.

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Will Graves, The Associated Press